New York Giants: Grading the Giants Draft

New York Giants: Grading the Giants Draft

By Michael Stewart

The 2017 NFL Draft has concluded and once again GM Jerry Reese missed a golden opportunity and could have made this year’s draft special, but chose not to. Instead he decided to not trade (up/down) until the 6th round; which was too late. This draft will not go down as Reese’s greatest draft; nor will it be remembered as his worse. However; it could go down as the draft that should have been. Let’s breakdown each round:

1st Round (#23 overall): Evan Engram (TE) Ole Miss: Engram plays more like a WR than a traditional TE with exceptional speed, but is a poor blocker & one-dimensional. A draft with such a deep TE class, maybe Reese reached a little here in the 1st round. Grade B-

2nd Round (#55 Overall): Dalvin Tomlinson (DT) Alabama: With the departure of Hankins, Tomlinson will fit in nicely along-side Harrison on the DL. Solid player with a great Attitude and will contribute from day one. This was the best pick by Reese in this draft, based on round and player’s ability. Grade B

3rd Round (#87 Overall): David Webb (QB) California: Webb does have the skill level to be the successor to Eli Manning, but that is years from now. Would have like to see RB D’onta Foreman selected here (taken at #89) or a player who can contribute now. Grade C-

4th Round (#140 Overall): Wayne Gallman (RB) Clemson: Gallman is a Downhill runner with an upright running style which may not translate well in the NFL. Reese should have traded up in the 4th to get RB Samaje Perine (taken by Redskins #114) who will now haunt us twice a year. Grade C-

5th Round (#167 Overall): Avery Moss (DE) 6’3/265 Youngstown: Needs to bulk up at the NFL level, has all the ingredients to be a solid DE; but needs time to develop his overall skill set. Grade C

6th Round (#200 Overall **traded with Tennessee /6th and 7th to move down 7 spots): Adam Bisnowaty (OT) 6’6/300 Pittsburgh: Limited athletically, but gets the most out of his ability. Blue collar mentally, but will need time to develop. Grade C-.

Final Thoughts: Overall, it was an average draft for the Giants, but it could have been better. GM Jerry Reese needs to find a way to be more creative with his approach in the draft. Year after year he lets opportunities evade him that has hurt the Giants to become an elite team.

The only thing that Reese didn’t do in this draft (which was a shocker to me) that he has done in every other draft during his tenure with the Giants; was to draft a DB. As far as I’m concerned, Reese didn’t address the importance of three positions (LB/RB/OT), despite drafting a RB & OT on day 3. His defiance on drafting an impact LBer (there were many available) is mind-boggling, especially when you consider that only B.J Goodson is under contract after this season.

As I mentioned earlier, this draft will go down as the draft that should have been; and for that my overall evaluation for the Giants draft is: Grade C+.